CEO, mediation/facilitation organization

December 30th, 2010

Jonathan Bartsch, MA ’97

Boulder, Colorado

Jonathan Bartsch’s organization, CDR – which stands for Collaborative Decision Resources – was founded in 1978, making it one of the oldest mediation and facilitation organizations in the United States. CDR’s 12 facilitators and two support staff are nationally known for facilitating discussions between people affected by, or involved in, plans made by multiple federal, state, and local governmental entities. As Jonathan explains, “I design and facilitate multi-stakeholder collaborative processes to address public policy disputes.”

He has particular expertise in helping regions to consider and thoughtfully address environmental concerns linked to the shortage of water and the building of highways. As an example, he facilitated the Governor’s Water Policy Task Force in Nebraska, which included 49 diverse water users and resulted in a new law for managing and addressing surface and groundwater conflicts. Internationally (approximately 25% of CDR’s work is international), Jonathan has consulted with the Korean and Japanese governments on two controversial highway projects, discussing various approaches to stakeholder engagement and negotiation.

Prior to entering CJP, Jonathan spent several years in Egypt, Palestine, Afghanistan and Pakistan, building on his Pennsylvania State University studies in Arabic and the Middle East as an undergraduate. He has studied and taught at the American University of Cairo, Birzeit University outside Ramallah (Palestine), and at the Islamic University of Afghanistan (during the Taliban era). He and his wife, Juliette, have also lived in Peshawar, Pakistan, where they worked for MCC and consulted with CARE, Save the Children and some other non-profit organizations. They have a son and a daughter.